What do you do if you fall for your best friend?
by LukesDragon
Summary: Taito fluff. Tai wants to tell Matt how he feels about him, but today is the school soccer tournament... Tai is going to learn the value of his little sister, and that there are more important things than soccer.


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"What do you do if you fall for your best friend?" by Luke's Dragon

Disclaimer

I don't own Digimon. I do however own a Matt and Garurumon action figure set which is pretty cool…but not Digimon the show or characters. 

Author Note

I just felt the need to write a fairly short, nice fluffy Taito to relax from doing my dissertation. The stupid thing just messes with my head so this was written to help me relax. *Sigh* Why can't I study Digimon at university? Nineteenth century society just doesn't compare with happy Taito!

Tai and Matt are both 16, Kari is 13 but her age doesn't really matter much since it's not going to be Yakari ;_; Hey! It's my story I can make it Yakari if I want…No maybe another time, this is defiantly Taito. Hmm, maybe if I didn't get so sidetracked by thoughts of who Yamato would be better suited to my dissertation would go better?

Anyhow, this is almost entirely from Tai's POV, it was going to be all his view but I couldn't figure out how to get to the dramatic moment in the football without doing some commentary (which is *within little stars* I know it's quite lame but I'm note a football commentator). As for 'Team Digital' as the football team name, it is dreadful I know, but infinitely better than 'Team Tai' or 'Team Rocket', which were my other ideas.

Anyhow, if you like it them let me know, getting reviews always cheers up my days.

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Football isn't a matter of life and death. It's much more important than that

~ Brian Clough

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Stupid Kari! Why does she have to give me such sensible advice? Probably because I asked her but that just isn't the point, she should have told me what I wanted to hear, after all that's why I asked her. The answer to the question, 'what do you do if you fall for your best friend?' should have been what I wanted her to say, something like 'get over it, it'll never happen'. But no, instead she says 'well why not tell him?' Why not? Why not? Because he's my best friend and… and because for the first time I can remember I'm scared.

Scared that he might not feel the same way, and equally scared that he might. Scared what my friends will say, scared what my parents would say. Damn it I never thought I was such a coward, but this is all so new to me, I've never been in love like this before, so why does my first love have to be with him. Why am I so scared of Yamato Ishida?

In don't know why I even brought it up, I've been so confused lately though, I guess I must have just dropped my guard, and then, and then it just hit me I'm in love with him so much that I can't get him out of my head. I write soppy poetry about him, I fantasize about holding him, I dream about him, Hell I even get distracted when I'm trying to play soccer, I see him there watching me and I just melt. 

Stupid I know, me Taichi Kamiya the guy who nothing fazes can't even concentrate on his soccer, and why? Because I'm in love with my best friend. You're shocked, right? Kari was too, but I'm glad she's still there for me I never realized until recently how much she meant to me, but anyway that's not the point. The point is you can hate me if you want and I know a lot of people will. Most of my friends on my soccer team are so homophobic it's unreal, and I know every girl who wants to be with Mr. Cool, Yamato Ishida will want to see me burn in the fires of hell for stealing 'their' guy. 

I don't care though, I want him to be 'my guy' don't worry, I'm not gonna break into song, I can't sing anyway. If I could I'd write and sing him the best love song ever, but it wouldn't matter, he's never going to want me, why? Kari asked me that question too, and I still don't know why, I just know he wouldn't. He's just so great, that ultra-cool persona, and the other one that only I know about. The one that still gets scared of thunder storms and those blue eyes, the ones I get lost in when ever I look at them. I remember reading some book once, in it there was this legendary monster that turned people to stone by looking at them, Matt can do that to me, turn me into a love-struck fool with just one look. How could I resist though? That hair, that voice, the way he makes me feel whenever I look at him. The way that whenever I talk to him I get shivers running down my back. 

Don't tell me I'm pathetic, I know I am, I've tried so hard to fight these feelings but no use, I'm totally head over heels in love with someone, someone who'll never feel the same way about me. You think I should tell him too? Funny that's just what Kari said but I already said that right? Anyway I know I should do it, take as chance, act like me, but what if he says no? What would I do if he hated me and never wanted to speak to me again? 

No I have to try, anything's better than sitting her talking to some imaginary audience, I really think I'm going insane, and it's all his fault, but I wouldn't have it any other way, I'm going to tell him…Tomorrow. 

~~~

Why did I have to promise myself to do it today? Today just happens to be our school 5-a side soccer tournament, It's for some charity event or other, anyway the winning team gets a trophy and medals, and I'm great at soccer so I really wanted to win and we should have had a really good chance. However we have a minor problem, my team is made up of my friends, although Ken and Davis both great players, and Joe is a surprisingly good goalkeeper, we also have Matt on our side too. Which means he'll be in shorts all day. We're never going to win I'm going to be staring at him instead of playing properly, and I really wanted to win, it's a cool trophy after all. Well maybe if I sorted this all out before the matches start I'll be alright. 

Yes that's a good idea, only that means telling him, and that's not such a great idea. Okay I'll tell him, he'll say he feels the same way, and it'll all be all right. Please, please let him feel the same way, oh hell here he is, okay Tai you can do this you've done far scarier things than this before. Although I don't think I could name more than three.

"Hey Matt, looking forward to today?" Small talk, which is good, because I don't have to tell him straight away that would be rude, it's nothing but politeness…

"Tai, you know I'm only doing this for you, I'm really bad at soccer"

"Well, I appreciate it, it's cool having you on my side" He's only doing it for me, huh if only he knew what that little phrase 'I'm only doing it for you' meant to me.

"Whatever, lets get ready" Changing rooms, equals semi naked Matt, No Tai get a grip of yourself, just tell him. Think you could have naked Matt all to yourself. Or you could get shot down in flames, but let's banish that thought.

"First there's something I want to talk to you about"

"Is it about the off-side rule again?"

"No it's more important"

"More important than soccer?"

"Yeah, tough to believe huh?" I'm stalling, why can't I tell him?

"So what is it?"

"I'm in love with you" Yes! I told him, but he doesn't look pleased, I was kind of hoping he'd leap into my arms and we'd make out on the locker room floor.

"No, no, no, you can't say that, no, I'm not hearing this" 

With that he ran out on me. What an absolute nightmare I'd managed at last to tell him how I felt and that was it, he'd just ran from me. What had I done, I'd always know that I never had a chance and now I had really blow it. Man, do I really know how to mess things up or what? The answer to this question I knew without Kari's help, a resounding yes. Damn Kari! Why did I ever want to listen to her in the first place, no I'd wrecked everything with Matt, and I'd lost one of my football team too. Things couldn't get much worse really could they?

I managed to find Kari, who had come to offer her support, and told her what happened.

"…so now he'll never speak to me again, and we're down a player"

"Is football all you care about?"

"No! Anyway, it's all your fault, telling me to talk to him"

"Tai, you could have tried being a little subtle about it"  
"Subtle?"

"Yes Tai, why do you always have to be so blunt?"

"Oh, I thought that…never mind I need you to do me a favor"

"Go on, you want me to talk to Matt for you, right?"

"Erm, no I want you to join our soccer team, we're down a player since Matt ran off"

"Tai! I can't believe you"

"Well moping around isn't going to help, so I'm going to forget it for now" 

Anyway knowing Matt, he'll want to be alone for a while. Anyway I don't think any amount of talking is going to help me out any more. So if we win today's tournament the day won't be a complete loss. Looks like it's time for the first matches to start, I just hope I can stay focused.

*Round 1 'Team Digital' win 4-0 superb play by Ken Ichijouji wins the match*

*Round 2 'Team Digital win 2-0, An excellent goal by late addition Kari Kamiya secures passage into the quarter finals after an Ichijouji goal earlier in the match*

*Quarter Final "Team Digital win 2-0, a free kick by Davis Motomiya and a wonderful solo goal by Ichijouji*

*Semi final 'Team Digital' win 1-0, captain Tai Kamiya missed a penalty, but his younger sister scored from the rebound. We have been disappointed with Tai Kamiya, he was one of the players we had our eye on, but looks below his best today*

Man! I've been dreadful today, that was a tough match and I let my team down, still we're into the final match now, I just wish that Matt was here to see us. I'd feel so much better if he was cheering me on, and maybe I could keep my concentration better. Still it's his problem that he ran away. Or is it my problem, maybe I should have never told him, I've been crazy about him for as long as I can remember, but I should have…Oh what does it matter anyway? I've lost him for good this time I always though that we'd end up together, but I guess I must have misread the signs. I felt so sure he loved me too. Damn it Tai! Why do you have to be such an idiot, why would Matt not run away? His best friend, who he always though was straight just confessed his love for him, anyway Matt's always ran away from his problems, why should now be any different?

Well time to give an inspirational team talk, hold on where has Kari gone? It's not like her to go wandering off never mind, I'll be inspirational to what's left of my team.

"Alright guys, it's the final match so, lets do our best"

"Is that it?" Trust Davis to cause trouble, I feel motivated what's wrong with that?

"Davis is right Tai, you've not been doing your best" Ken, why does he have to agree with Davis all the time, and in his very best emperor evil voice too. Even Joe seemed to be against me, asking perhaps the most difficult question.

"So, what happened to Matt?"

"He's…um…er…he's…sick, yeah that's it sick and can't play"

"That's odd, I thought I saw him earlier"

"Um…no you must be mistaken…no…um…he came to say good luck"

"Why didn't he wish all of us luck too?"

"He was too ill, and had to go home to bed"

I knew I was a dreadful liar, but there didn't seem to be any more questions. Kari turned up just before we had to go out for the final match, I asked her where she had been, but she just said she was practicing. I tried to get the rest of the story out of her but she said 'I'm not very good at football, so I was practicing being a sweeper', this sounded needlessly cryptic, but I couldn't get anymore questions in. Mainly because Ken was taunting Davis that Kari had scored more goals than he had, and now it was time for the final match to begin.

*Good tackle by Motomiya, the ball is picked up by Tai Kamiya, and, Oh No! he's given the ball away and it's an easy goal for the 'Odaiba All Stars' What a dreadful mistake by Tai Kamiya, he looked as if he wasn't concentrating and his team just got punished* 

Damn! What am I doing, get Matt out of your head, there's nothing you can do right now. Just don't let your friends down, Ha! That's a laugh, I've let Matt down big time, or was it that he let me down? I don't care, I just wish he was here with me now.

*Here we are approaching the final minutes of the match, Team Digital are loosing 1-0 but on the attack now, as Kari Kamiya passes to brother Tai. Tai Kamiya now on a good run, he hits an excellent cross towards Davis Motomiya, he goes for the diving header, and its gone in! Goal to Team Digital it's 1-1 and we're going into extra time here at Odaiba High School*

All right! I hope that makes up for earlier, now all we have to do is go on and win. I just wish all my problems could be solved so easily, like Matt, I wish I could just…No stop it Tai, forget Matt. I wish that I could…

*Well what a dramatic conclusion to this match, Ken Ichijouji looked odds on to score but was fouled and Team Digital have a penalty. Ichijouji wanted to take the penalty kick himself, but captain Tai Kamiya has stepped up himself, don't forget he missed a penalty in the semi finals*

Why do I want to take this, to prove a point to myself? Or is it just I'm too damn stubborn to know when I'm beaten, is that why I can't give up on Matt? No not now, just concentrate on this kick Tai. Focus, choose where you're going to hit it and do it. Is that him in the crowd, yes it is I'd know that hair, and those eyes anywhere. He's come to cheer me on, Matt's here for me, but why, how? I don't understand. Hold on, what Kari said, she was practicing being a sweeper? I remember she asked me what a sweeper does, and I said, they clean up if someone else messes up. Could she have…? Well this is for you Matt, this is for us.

*Tai Kamiya steps up, he looks confidently at the crowd and shoots, and scores! As the referee blows for full time it ends Odaiba All Stars 1, Team Digital 2*

After the match, as is customary the whole team hugged, I couldn't help wishing Matt was still on the team, and also that Davis and Ken's hug seemed, I don't know what it seemed, it was just a little strange, as if there was more than football going on.

The trophy which I thought was pretty cool didn't mean too much to me in the end, we gave it to Kari as everyone said she deserved it the most, what really mattered to me happened a little later. We had all decided to in order to celebrate to get a pizza I was lagging behind a little. I was lost in thought, I know no one thinks I'm all that into deep thinking but lately I've been doing it a lot, there's no special prize for guessing what I think about. As I was thinking about him, he appeared, if it was sheer chance, or some one had told him where we were going, I don't know, or care for that matter.

"Matt…"

"Hey Tai, well done today"

"Yeah…"

"You don't look so pleased, I thought you wanted to win"  
"Yeah…but I wanted something else more" 

"Tai…"

"I know, you don't feel the same, but I'd like us to stay friends"

"No I don't want us to stay friends"

"I understand, well goodbye Matt"

"Tai, no you don't understand at all, I want us to be more than friends"

"…! You What? But How? Why? you ran out on me earlier and I thought…"

"Tai, I'm so sorry if I hurt you earlier, it's just, I was so confused"

"Yeah, me too, I've wanted to say something forever, but…"

"I know 'that but…' I've been there too, but then Kari helped me see something"

"Kari?"

"Yeah, she asked me, 'what do you do if you fall for your best friend?'"

"And what do you do?"

"This" 

Oh Man! My first ever kiss, with Matt, this…this is all a dream, no it can't be it's real, Matt and me, Tai and Matt, together. 'This'…he's going to do 'this'. I can't believe all I wanted out of today was some silly soccer match, when I can have 'this' and I'm pleased that I was right, Kari really deserved that trophy, star footballer and match maker. I'm really glad my little sister is there for me. Now I have 'this' a kiss, and a passionate embrace with Matt, and so wonderful, he feels the same as me! I get the impression there's going to be a lot more of 'this' going on around here. 


End file.
